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EARLY RACING AROUND LEXINGTON Brief Account of How Sport Flourished in Olden Days— Program of Spring; Meeting of 1860. Lexington. Ky.. April 18. — The Kentucky spring racing season will be ushered in next Tuesday over tin- oldest race truck in America, when the Kentucky Association throws open the gates of the famous old l exington course. During tlie fifteen-day nicotine the total distribution to horsemen in stakes and purses will amount to 8,250. That is a far cry from the Kentucky Association program of I860, which read: "The spring meeting over this course will commence ii Monday, the 4th day of June, and will continue during the week. "First Day — Association Stake, mile heats, for three year-olds. 00 entrance; 0 forfeit; 5 declaration, if made and paid on the second Monday in March. Thirty-one nominations and no declarations: "Sec 1 Day — Purse 00, two mile heats, for all ages. "Third Day — Purse *00. mile heats, for all ages. ••fourth Day — Purse 00. mile heats, three best in five, for all ages. "Fifth Day — Citiiens Stake, two mile heats, for three -year-okta. 00 entrance; 0 forfeit; 0 declaration, f made and paid on the second Monday in Marcli. Twenty-six nominations and only one declaration! **. i:ii Day — Purse 1918.sh00. three mile heats, for all ages. "Hv order of the Hoard of Officers. "C. WHEATLY, See. K. A." In iliis connection a brief account of the earliest racing around Lexington will not be out of place. Kentucky is chiefly indebted to her mother. Vir-giui:. for the material upon which her bloodstock W;is founded. Virginia had long been regarded and josti.v. too. as the race horse region of America. Her ascendancy upon the turf for many years was iuite decided, but it is probable that racing and breeding commenced simultaneously, or nearly mi. in the states of Virginia and Maryland. These two states were principally settled by men of birth at tallied to the Cavalier party, race horses were Itreil and trained and many celebrated English sires were imported in the early part of the eighteenth century, prior to the outbreak of the old French war. liaciug was kept up in Virginia for many years with unabated interest and to Virginia is t he country chiefly indebted for the large number of iiii|tor!ed stallions and mares. All her great men were fond of this and kindred sports. Geu. Washington was particularly fond of deer and fox hunting and he and Thomas Jefferson both ran horses ai Alexandria, Virginia, about 1790. WHEN KENTUCKY RACING STARTED. After Kentucky and Tennessee were admitted as slates, they soon took rank as the great breeding and racing points and may be said to have far oiit-siri|i|»ed their noble mother. Old Virginia. Kentucky v.i- principally settled by Virginians and inheriting the tastes of their fathers, racing was commenced sometime before Kentucky was admitted to the Union. The late H. G. Bruce, writing of this subject in 1882. says that racing was commenced while Kentucky was yet in a territorial state. The materials upon which to build up an account of the breeding and racing at Lexington in its infancy, are necessarily meager. The earliest evidence we have is the old Kentucky Gazette, printed in this city by Messrs. John and Fielding Bradford. The first number of the Kentucky Gazette appeared on the 11th day of August, 1787, printed on demi paper, the second on ■ half sheet of the same size, but owing to the difficulty of obtaining paper it was soon after re-dm-ed to a half sheet of foolscap and thus published for several months. It was said that most of the ty|te on which the paper was printed was cut out ..f dogwood by John Bradford. This was some five years before Kentucky was admitted as a state into the Union. The Kentuckians early exhibited a love for the sports of the turf and in the year 1788. when but a wilderness, we find in the old Kentucky Gazette some half-doaen thoroughbred stallions advertised to stand for service for so many pounds of tobacco or bushels of corn. As early as 1787 "the Commons." as our present Water street was tlien called, was a favorite of horsemen when their charming pastime of racing through Main street was interfered with by the trustees of the town. In August, 1789. the Kentucky Gazette contained the following notice: "A purse race will take place at Lexington on the sec-end Thursday in October next, free for any horse, mare or gelding; weight -for-age, ageeable to the rules of Newmarket three-mile heats, best two in three, each subscriber to pay one guinea, including his subscription, the horses to be entered the day before the running with John Fowler, who will attend at Mr. Collins* tavern that day." Kacing kept up pretty regularly from that time on. as we find numerous advertisements published in the Gazette of meetings to come off, but it was not until Novenilter 12, 1793, that we have any re-isirt of racing. The report says that the first day four-mile heats were won by Col. Simeon Bufords Mogul, distancing the field. The first heat three started. Second day, three-mile heats, five started; won by Abraham Bufords Weasel in two heats. On January 23. 1790. a banter from Leonard Clai-Itorne to run a match with his horse. Bumpard, for ,500 agaiust Col. Simeon Bufords Mogul. The rail was doubtless run, as we find Colonel Bufords acceptance, but no report of the result. WEIGHTS CARRIED IN 1796. The following is a list of weights carried at this lieriod. as published iu 1796: Seven years old, ten stoue; six years old, nine stone; five years old, eight stoue: four years old. seven stone, and three years old, a feather. A stoue is fourteen pounds and ;i feather is five stone or seventy pounds. Iu the fall of 1797. we find that "a Jockey Club was formed and. at a meeting of the Jockey Club, at Messrs. Postlewaits Phoenix Hotel! oa Tuesday. October 17th, the following resolutions were adopted : Kesolved. That there lie a purse race run over the Lexington course on the second Wednesday and the two following days in November next; the first day. four mile heats: second day, three mile heats, ami the third day. for four-year-olds, two mile lieats; aged horses carrying 130 pounds; six-year-olds, 120 iKiuuds: five-year-olds, 100 pounds, and three-year-olds, a feather. Kesolved. That Samuel Downing, A Homes. G. Anderson. K. W. Downing and J. B. January be a committee to admit persons wishing to become members of the club. Kesolved. That the next meeting of this club be at this house, on this day week, at J oclock p. in. From the minutes C. Banks, secretary. The ra«-cN continued pretty regularly after this lieriod and the parties running horses were Major Sthreshley. Major Willis. Captain W. Allen. J. M. Garrard. J. M. Gatewood, Mr. Shelley, Mr. Morris, Col. S. Buford and Col. A. Buford. The war of 1S12 seemed to check racing entirely at Lexington, for something like ten or twelve years and the fall notice of 1822 is the first mention of racing that any records afford since 1814. In the years 1S22-23. we can find no results given of racing, although they are advertised in the prints of the day. Among the principal turfmen running horses iu 1809. were K. W.. Tims, and Samuel Lewis. Lynn and William West. Lewis Marshall. Thomas Kennedy. Robert Houston. Dr. Joseuh Bos-well. J. Pitts. W. B. Cook, owner of Cooks Whip; William Twiggs. Thomas Stevenson, S. Richardson, H. Taylor. Col. A. Buford, Catit. John Fowler. Thomas J. Garrett. Dr. Klisha Warlicld breeder of Lexington i, Hon. Heury Clay, Jack Jouett and others. HENRY CLAY EARLY PATRON OF TURF. It will be seen that the great commoner and statesman. Henry Clay, was an early patron of the Kentucky turf. He owned the foreign -bred Yorkshire and a iiumttcr of foreign -bred mares, which he afterward presented to his son. John M. Clay, whose widow maintained his Ashland Stud for vears after his death. Mrs. John M. Clay is still living, her lionie being just outside the present city limits, on a iwrtion of the famous Ashland estate of Henry Clay, given by him to her husband. During the fall races of 1N24 S. Berrymnns bay l.orse. Paragon, by Blackburns Whip, beat Mr. Watsons Stockholder, by Sir Archy. and Mr. Bar-netts Diamond, four. mile heats. Out of this race grew the great match between Stockholder and Paragon, for S2.000 a side, four-mile beats, which was run at Lexington, Ky.. October 27. 1823. over what was then known as the Williams race track, situated near the old Kentucky Central freight depot, on the L-e farm, now a part of the Lexington cemetery, and was won by Stockholder iu 8:10. 8:06. A vast concourse of people attended to witness the trial of K|tccd between these two favorite horses, stockholder won with ease. The present existing club, known as the "Kentucky AssiM-iation." .vas chartered in 182«. but did not run its first meeting over the present grounds until the fall of 1828. Among the old palters of the ,||, we find the following list of the original subs ribers: We. the subscribers, agree to form ourselves into :in association for the purpose of promoting the piir-ihase ami sale of stock, and to encourage the breeding of liot-sos niton the following conditions, etc.: Klisha J. Winter, E. Warfield, Elijah Cartmill. Charles Buford, T. H. Pindell. John Disbuiau, James K. Duke, William 11. Morton, 0. Keeue, Peter Gatewood. W. Sanders. Pritehard and Robinson. William Buford, Leslie Combs, J. Boswell, Thomas Smith, William Bowman. B. P. Sanders. Thomas Stevenson, J. L. Downing. George H. Bowman. John lluunicutt, Ater A Boswell. E. Yeiser, Edward Lafon. B. W. Dudley. Joseph Bowman, R. J. Breckinridge. Thomas W. Clay, John Brand, Robert Wickliffe. James Clark. Ralph B. Tarlton, George Boswell. S. Davenport, Willa Viley, Charlton Hunt, J. S. Berrvman. D. Parrish, James C. Rodes, Downing. Grant and Co.. R. IK wning. David Bryant, George and Abram K. Smedes, John Bruce, John Tilford. J. Logan. L. J. Feuwick. F. Moiitniolliii. George W. Anderson. R. Dawes. Jr., John Wirt, J. M. Pike, William Buchanan, John C. Talbot, Ludwell Berkeley, Thomas E. Boswell, A. Burnett, E. M. Blackburn and George Miller.
